'Kong: Skull Island' earns $61 million to win the weekend box office, but is far from breaking even
This latest look at the legendary Kong went outside the box, placing the monster ape in the Vietnam-era with huge production value, incredible CGI creature fights, a soundtrack full of almost every iconic song from the 1970s, and big name stars like Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, and John Goodman.
All that totals to around a $185 million-budgeted movie (and another $136 million to market it), according to Deadline.
So even though "Skull Island" exceeded industry weekend projections by taking in $20.2 million on Friday and then had an impressive spike on Saturday with $23.9 million, WB is still looking at a big hill to climb to get in the black.
And the international box office isn't helping, as it didn't even crack $85 million.
"Skull Island" also didn't perform as well as WB's 2014's monster movie "Godzilla," which opened domestically at $93.1 million. Budgeted at $160 million, it went on to earn over $529 million worldwide.
"Logan," Hugh Jackman's final time playing X-Men Wolverine, came in second place with $37.9 million.
And in third is the sensational "Get Out" with $21 million, putting the movie past $100 million total gross, the fastest a Blumhouse Productions release ever hit the mark. The movie was made for $4.5 million.